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Recipes Roundup: Here’s a scrumptious selection of Japanese donburi (rice bowl) recipes to make on your busy weeknight!
Donburi rice bowls are the quintessential Japanese comfort meal. “Don 丼” refers to the bowl that the dish is served in, so for a typical donburi, you get a bowl of fluffy steamed rice with toppings such as vegetables and meat or seafood all in one meal.
In Japan, you can even find fast food chains specialize in donburi where you make your order and payment through a vending machine before picking up at the serving counter. Fulfilling and super convenient, it’s no wonder why they are a popular choice of quick meal amongst the office workers.
For me, the concept of donburi is nothing short of genius. From the grains and protein, to the veggies and sauce, the wholesome components of a rice bowl makes it ideal to cook at home. Because they are weeknight-friendly, I often include donburi in my meal plan for the family. My favorite part? Its flexible template for using up seasonal and leftover ingredients.
If you like the idea of delicious rice bowls, here are some of the popular donburi recipes you can throw together anytime of the week.
12 Popular Donburi Recipes You Must Try at Home
1. Gyudon (Beef Bowl) 牛丼
Thinly sliced beef simmered with onion in a savory-sweet sauce, Gyudon (beef bowl) is probably one of the most popular types of donburi in Japan. You’ll love how easy it is to cook at home. I like to top it off with a beaten egg for extra protein and garnish with some pickles and chopped scallion for colors and freshness.
2. Chicken Katsudon チキンカツ丼
Chicken Katsudon (Chicken Cutlet Rice Bowl) features crispy chicken katsu that has been simmered in savory dashi sauce with thinly sliced onion and a scrambled egg. My recipe teaches you how to shallow fry the chicken cutlet, so it’s less messy and less oily to cook at home.
3. Ten Don (Tempura Donburi) 天丼
Golden crispy shrimp and vegetable tempura served over steamed rice and drizzled with tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce), this ten don recipe is a real treat for a special Saturday night dinner. For a complete meal, enjoy with a bowl of miso soup and a side of refreshing salad.
4. Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐
Silken tofu with ground pork mixture cooked in an intensely flavorful sauce and served in rice bowl style, this Japanese Mapo Tofu recipe will not disappoint when you crave for something bold for dinner. It’s milder and less spicy than the Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu so children can enjoy.
5. Soboro Don (Ground Chicken Bowl) 三色そぼろ丼
Soboro Don (Minced Chicken & Egg on Rice) is colorful, nutritious and easy to pull together. If you have little kids at home, this is the kind of recipe you want to keep in your back pocket. I call it the ‘happy meal’ for my children.
6. Salmon Ikura Don 鮭いくら丼
This Salmon Ikura Don recipe features raw fish but served in a casual donburi style, which is perfect for Japanese home cooking. If you cook the rice in advance, 15 minutes is all you need to assemble the rice bowl together.
7. Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Bowl) 親子丼
Oyakodon literally means “parent-and-child rice bowl” in English. A play on the chicken-and-egg combination, this protein-filled home style dish wins for its simplicity. It’s hearty yet nutritious, making it a favorite meal to start the week.
8. Niratama Donburi ニラ玉丼ぶり
Soft fluffy egg stir fry with garlic chives served over hot rice, Niratama Danburi is homey and extra comforting. The distinctive flavor of garlic chives defines the simple dish. You can find the deep green, flat-shaped garlic chives (also known as Chinese chives) at your local Asian grocery stores or Asian produce markets.
9. Unadon (Grilled Eel Rice Bowl) 鰻丼
Unagi is a specialty in Japanese cuisine. The delicious combination of warm rice and sweet caramelized sauce over the perfectly grilled unagi is simply irresistible. To make Unagi Don at home, you can buy pre-grilled unagi or the ones that are grilled and vacuum-packed for a minimal effort.
10. Poke Bowl
A Hawaii’s soul food, we have seen an explosion of popularity of poke across the US. This raw fish salad in a bowl is heavily influenced by Japanese cuisine. My version of poke is very easy make and you can adapt the toppings to your preference. It’s so good that you want to make it over and over again.
11. Yoshinoya Beef Bowl
Savory and juicy sliced beef served over steamed rice, this delicious Yoshinoya Beef Bowl is a weeknight meal keeper. It consists of a bowl of steamed rice topped with thinly sliced beef and tender onion, simmered in a sweet and savory dashi broth seasoned with soy sauce and mirin.
12. Baked Katsudon 揚げないカツ丼
Juicy deep-
More Donburi Recipes?
I hope you enjoy making these delicious donburi rice bowls recipes at home. If you are looking for more donburi and other rice recipes, click here to get inspiration! Thank you so much for reading and till next time!
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Your recipes look delicious! And easy to make.
Thank you Rosemary! 🙂
Love your recipes
They are easy fast and fun
Hi Varina! Thank you so much! Have fun cooking!
These donburi look so good, each and every one. What I need to know is where can I get salmon roe?I live in South Florida,where there are plenty of really good Asian markets, but I can’t seem to find any. I did find an establishment reasonably near my home that sells only caviars and accessories. I sent them an e-mail around a week before New Year’s, but they never responded. I will try them again, but at this point I’m not holding out hope. And I don’t want to buy from someplace that will charge me a fortune for cold shipping.
Hi Lorraine! Japanese grocery stores always carry them, but if you can’t find a good Japanese market… My local (American) gourmet grocery stores also carry them. If you can’t find those markets, then I’d go for a good online source.
https://www.goodeggs.com/sfbay/tsarnicoulaisfbay/gold-pearl-salmon-roe/5dd8acfe62cdcc000e8c4d8c
https://store.catalinaop.com/products/frozen-sashimi-grade-salmon-eggs-ikura?_pos=9&_sid=4bae66806&_ss=r&variant=12181123825758
Can you tell me by name your local American supermarkets that carry salmon roe?
My local stores that I’ve seen carrying include:
Piazza’s Fine Foods
Draeger’s Market
Lunardie’s
Whole Foods
They are salmon roe – not marinated in soy sauce like Ikura, though, which you can do it at home with soy sauce and mirin. 🙂
Don’t forget katsu curry!!!!
Hi Deborah! Yes!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/katsu-curry/
I’m going to have to make a video for this recipe one day! 🙂
Fantastic recipes and beautiful bowls.
It is not only healthy but it is also an eye drop, versatile for both everyday and very practical. The Bowls are more beautiful than the other, I have 5 and I collect I want more.
They are practical and serve for almost everything.
Thanks for the beautiful recipes, it makes our daily meals even better.
Hi Syd! Thank you so much for your kind words. It’s fun to collect ceramics and it makes it fun to serve dishes too. 🙂
I’ve just started to cook again and tried a couple of your recipes – they were dope! I am a SoCal Sansei and your recipes are on point with the food I grew up with. I’m really looking forward to trying the donburi recipes! I used to make these, but yours look yummier!! Thanks for having this site and sharing your awesome skills and friendly, super cool style!
Hi Afton! I’m so happy to hear that and thank you for your kind feedback. Hope you enjoy these donburi dishes! It’s a lot easier to adjust my recipes to the taste you grew up eating. 🙂 Happy cooking!
Hello Nami,
It’s me Florence from Alaska again. I know I asked about your recipe for Chukadon, but do you know when you’ll be putting it online? I’ve tried a couple of recipes, but I’m looking forward to your recipe because I’ve seem to like your flavorings and methods for several other recipes. Probably because I lived in Yokohama for almost 2 years as a child. I am looking forward to your chukadon recipe soon….. thank you!!!
Hi Florence! So sorry!! I have other seasonal (end of summer…) recipes that I need to push before year-round recipes. I finished photoshopping, so I just have to write the post…
Thank you for more donburi recipes. I made the nasubi donburi for my neighbors and they raved about it…. it was very delicious with your basic sauce. I cook about twice a week for my elderly neighbors who lives alone.
Hi Joanne,
Wow! We are so glad to hear you and your neighbors enjoyed the dish! Thank you for sharing your story with us!
Just what I needed! I especially love the Niratama Donburi and I know my children will too. Thank you for sharing xx
Hi Amanda,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
We hope you and your family enjoy these Donburis.☺️
I am so happy to have found your site. I can cook and I love cooking but as a gaijin living in Japan, sometimes I don’t know the not so obvious meals. I always cook fresh so I really appreciate this site
Thank you so much!
Hi David!
It’s our pleasure! We are so happy to hear you live in Japan, and Nami’s recipes help you cook fresh Japanese food!
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
I can’t thank you enough for these donburi recipes. They came just in time heading into
winter here in MI. My husband will be very happy too.
Hi Kathy,
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this post.
Thank you for your kind feedback!🙂
I love your recipes they transport me back to some of the wonderful food I ate in Japan on holiday.
Thank you
Hi Wendy!
We are so happy to hear you enjoy many of Nami’s recipes.
Thank you for your kind feedback.☺️